Merchandise vending or dispensing machine



S. B. PALMER ET AL MERCHANDISE VENDING OR DISPENSING MACHINE Aug. 19': 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 7, 1946 INVENTORS sfdfll y B rf'lefi" Rzlmer Ray F05 fer Fin/lava 1952 s. B. PALMER ET AL 2,607,652

MERCHANDISE VENDING OR DISPENSING MACHINE IN VEN TORS 5 for; la Barf)?- F51 mar ,3 BY R Fosfer Paul-$011 Aug. 19, 1952 s. B. PALMER ET AL 2,607,652

MERCHANDISE VENDING OR DISPENSING MACHINE Filed Dec. 7, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet s Aug. 19, 1952 s. BPPALMER ETAL MERCHANDISE VENDING [OR DISPENSING MACHINE Filed Dec. 7, 1946 I 4 Sheets-She et 4 INVENTORS Shirley Barfleff El mar By 170 Foe fer Per/[50A Patented Aug. 19, 1952 MERCHANDISE VENDING OR DISPENSING MACH INE

Stanley Bartlett Palmer, Richmond Beach, and Roy Foster Paulson, Kirkland, Wash.

Application December 7, 1946, Serial No. 714,733

7 Claims.

Our invention relates to the art of merchandise vending or dispensing machines. More particularly does it relate to vending or dispensing machines adapted to dispense merchandise units which are disposed in spaced relation and are carried by and sanitarily enclosed in a flexible tape or ribbon means which preferably may be of transparent plastic material as cellophane or the like.

More specifically, our invention is for dispensing vitamin capsules or other like articles. Dispensing such products presents certain difiiculties. This product at a drugstore is sold in .bottles with a mass of absorbent cotton disposed on top of the bottle contents and the bottle closed with a cork or stopper. Thus, protection against moisture and delivery of a sanitary product is assured. A fundamental and primary purpose of our invention is to provide a vending or dispensing machine characterized in all its features by its sanitary and moisture resisting construction, such characterizing features being provided not only as respects the sealing of each capsule or tablet within a plastic ribbon material, but also as respects the enclosure provided by the machine and the reloading of the machine so that all this may be done without the capsule contacting any operators hands from the manufacturing of the ribbon with the enclosed capsules to the time when the consumer tears open the dispensed ribbon encased unit. Encasing the unit capsule in the ribbon plastic material provides for its sanitary protection and also protects against the gelatin coating of the capsule from becoming softened by the absorption of moisture in the air and infected by any bacterial or fungus cultures. It must be remembered that the lapsed time before dispensing is uncertain, so that all such sealing protection is important. Such protection features as stated above are also provided by our invention by the tight sealing of the housing in which the merchandise is stored while being dispensed or offered for sale. Also both of such protection features for the capsule is important because the degree of humidity may vary greatly according to the season of the year and the geographical location.

Moreover, there must be a sufiiciently large supply of the capsules in the magazine of the machine to" provide for the ordinary demand without unreasonable. shortness of time between refilling. Obviously if the machine is found empty or out of goods frequently, the purchasing public will not be able to rely upon it and loss of confidence will be directly reflected by (01. s1z 39) v loss of sales of the product which involves regularity of use to derive its full benefit, At the same time, the size of the machine must be small and compact so as not to be unduly conspicuous in view of its location for the maximum convenience of those who will desire its service. Also this location for a large part will be on counters, walls, in restaurant booths, on dining tables of airplanes, trains, and the like, all of which may often have desirable locations for such occupied by other necessary devices so that the space available is positively limited. Accordingly, a primary object of our invention is to provide a dispensing mechanism characterized by its smallness of size and compactness and yet have a relatively large capacity of the units tobe dispensed. 7

From the above it will be manifest that readiness of refilling is essential. Also, that this should be done without the machine refilling operator contacting the merchandise or even the encasing ribbon more than is necessary to thread the ribbon end portion through the dispensing mechanism. A primary purpose of our invention is to meet these requirements and j is achieved, in general, by providing a previously loaded cartridge to be substituted for an empty cartridge, which is of a U-like form'tomultiply its capacity and which cartridge in.addition to being a magazine will also function, first, as a-portion of the housing, second, as a display means where the character of the goods permits, and third, as a mounting means for the coin receptacle, all of which features combine in function to provide compactness as well as other advantages. Furthermore, a primary purpose is also to provide a dispensing machine which for its operation does not depend upon precise leveling and also so that it may be operable on a wall as well as on a table mounting.

The above mentioned general objects of our invention, together with others inherent in the same, are attained by the mechanism illustrated in the following drawings, the same being preferred exemplary forms of our invention:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the dispensing machine embodying our invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in longitudinal vertical section of the same substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in cross section of the same substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view in cross section of substantially on line 44 of Fig. 1; n

Fig. 5 is a view in longitudinal vertical section of the same substantially on line- 5 5 OfFigSl;

the same provided with a coin receiving .slot ild aimer chandise delivery opening I5, .anoin return opening [6 for coins of Wrong denominatioman *operating lever slot IT, a key hole l8 for lockimechanism l9 (Fig. 2), a recess 20 for directions of operationwof thedeviceandstatement describing the :goo'ds, and a .retur-mcoin .pocke't IZI, Fig. .3, having ooin return. slot 722 at :the v-.ba.se .of pro- .tecting.,plate. -23. .At the. topo'fithe froritfhousing member engages shoulderlZ, ,Fig."2,;for. means in vconjunction with notch 31 of frame .36 ,to .holdthelfrontfhousing member 18 vin,place.at v thetop of the. device.

The lock mechanism ['9 ,has ;.a :moving .rilate ..member .25 ..with laterally disposed projecting earms L25. ..A ,mounting .or bearing -means 56 iis provide'd fora merchandise .disprensing fdrum'5. A mounting .base .plate128 .may The jfixe'dly .secured in vthe .itable r.or 1ike. supporting means as iby internally ,.disposed.screws I21 (Fig.l z). ."This platejzfl also ifunctions. as aprotecting .or underside covering means for the lock 19. Thebase plate [deforms amounting means .for theI bracket rbasel3l .of the upright bracket .35. The "base .platelliihas lockinghooks-.33 (Figs."2,.6 and 8), :Which hooks .are engageable ..by. moving ,plate 25 rwhenfthesame. is. moved .upwardly' by a .key 3.4. .Jl .merchandise .dispensing ,mechanism 35 has aiframe ,35 mounted upon .npright .bracketfafl.

..Frame Sfijunctions .as .a .support. for "the "front .lhousingmember l0 and has .notch .37 engage- .able'lby. shoulderfl l .ofthe. fronthousing member "ID .and.,preferably has -a -.curved portion '.-."l-.a. Ito support and ,put underftension 'fron't housing member III] .in assembled .position '.to ,provide :a .rigid construction. Theframe 36 also jhasilaterally.iiisposed.mountingrshouldersfl8 whichffunc- -tionias supports andguidesjfor cartridge-magazine housing .member ,of 1-U-'-llike form -12 and .i'ear housing member .I.I. ;Mounting.shoulders .38 Lbave grooves..39 for. receiving theupper edge .of cartridge-magazine l2. "Shoulders '38 also have ,.gro.ov.e .40 .for ,receiving .the interlocking Jea'r edgeof .the frnnt housing member All. The frame 36 preferahlylias .anjinclined .curved top ..ridge 4] ,whichfunctions asasupporting means ..and .as .a means vJfor .putting under tension the -rear.-.housingmemher H. The lateral edges 4'4 of the -'top portion '43 provide lateral and lver tical support for .the "upper .edgeportion of the cartridge-magazine. member I [2. This. rear member, [I .issuitably .held to .the bracketmember ..3.0.asby.screws44a (seefFigA where screw on one .fsi'de is shown 'in .broken' away part of .housing).

The rear .housing .member 1-H .a rear 71301131011 42 .and ..an .overhanging :top .-portion 43, said rear:housingmemberfl being put :under tension rby tep -.ridge -41 to provide :rigid construction vof the assembled "device.

Iii-5 preferably Lihas itively.

The cartridge-magazine housing member and coin receptacle mounting means l2 of U-like form is preferably made of transparent substance, for example, glass or plastic. The cartridge l2 may have along its outer longitudinal lateral edges 45 an offset groove 46 and likewise offset groove 41 along its uppermost front edge portions 4-8 toiengageithe-lower edge portion 44 .:.of 'Itheitopyportion 43 ;and the lower-edge portion 49 of the front housing member II] respec- In the central portion of the cartridge member I2 is disposed a preferably insertable and removable independent plate of U-form "constituting coin receiving container 50 of suitableimaterial eand zpreferably of opaque walls.

ZThis rcont'ainer 59 also functions as a bracing means and the innermost wall of the U- shaped cartridge merchandise-magazine l2 or chamb'er5l for the ribbon 52 which is formed of individual separable'rribbon units 53 in which is .encased the capsules or other merchandise 54, .said .units 53 being "formed 'byperforations 53a, jthe number of which perforations being .employed to determine'the 'degreeof .PulIL'nec- .essary for severing the unit '53 andltherebyifunc- .tioning cooperatively with other locking mechanism .to .lockithe ribbon'52 "in guarding against unauthorized u11ingfout of said ribbon "52.

The merchandise dispensing mechanism 35 has a merchandise dispensing drum 55 in d'rum housing 156. Housing 56"has "upper Landilower grooves i5! to receive "int'eilo'ckingly flanges 58 .in the "front housing member '10 about the'mer- .chandise delivery opening l'5. Upperjgroove =51, iliigsf5 land '6,;is" in the face "of drumjhousingfifi .wliichfhasa fdependin glknife-Iike edge 59 against which the ribbon "52 :may be' "upwardly pulled in the act o'f severing 'aniridiVidual unit5'3 "of the said ribbon'52. n

The tdispensing mechanism 35, Fig. 3, has fa return .coin .chu'te 6 fl with shoulders '56 I and-F62. The coin returnpocket jZI .of front member )H] has its-edges 63 andfi l'bearing"tightly:against .sai'd shoulders 5 I :and .62 ito form :a tight joint therebetween. 7 'The.merchandise dispensing drum 55 is ,preferably integrally formed on a driven :disk65 "which initurnis voperatively connected to'a'coin controlled "driving disk-65' havingoperating lever GLprovided with operatinghandle .ii8-.1said lever being "movable in slot 11. Dr11m55has capsule .54 or 'other' merchandise receiving pockets 59. Betweendrum .55. and "housing 5.6 is. a" narrow passageway .75 for merchandise .encasing ribbon I52. 'The'front lower ,portion of housing-5E3 bears .c'losely :.against .drum '55 so that :no "ribbon '52 passage exists therebetween and'thus a definite block is provided against .the ribbon "52 being drawn around .by the drum 55i'andj.reen'tering at that point between'the drum '55 and the hous- 111355. The drum55'is preferablyprovided with .a removable endportion "'H which facilitates the weaving of the merchandise ribbon 52 over the drum at the time of loading "and particularly 'does such constructionfacilitate unloading the drum '55 'of the ribbon 52. Such "construction avoids'tearing off a unit'53to "emptythe: machine. The .mode ."of operation has "been set forth in part above and further is'asfollows: lniloa'ding the cartridge J'the'ribbon 52fis'fo1ded"back and forth, one. layersuperimposed .upon .the other ."as appears in .the drawings, :Fig. 15. I ribibori52 thus folded and lyingcon its -.edges ,forms la rectangular.-body-whichrmay.- befed and pressed into :one sside -leg of =the ru formed cartridge-rit -for example, in theleg opposite the'side from which the ribbon is to be 'fed" and the pressure continued until the folded ribbon 52 is forced around the curved or bottom portion of the cartridge l2 and'up in the other leg or side of the U-formed cartridge 12. Thus,"there'isformed a'fe'eding supply stack in the feeding leg of the U'-shap ed cartridge and a stored supply stack in the opposite leg. It is a part of our discovery or invention In providing the necessarycompactness and at the same time the necessary volume of merchandise in a small space, it was necessary to discover some way to store more than one column of the stacked ribbon 52 folds and at the same time such several columns had to be arranged to unfold continuously and permit continuous feeding of the ribbon l2. It is a part of our discovery or invention to provide the U-form of cartridge I2 so that the layers of ribbon 52 would unfold in being dispensed and move out of the feed portion of the leg or side beneath the.

drum 55. It is also a part of our discovery that the weight of the folded ribbon 52 in the stored stack in the opposite leg or side, together with the upward pull in the other, i. e., feeding leg or feed supply stack induced by the drum 55, would cause the ribbon 52 in th curved or bottom portion to (pass around such curved portion without side wall sticking or jamming. In short, we discovered that by means of the U-form of cartridge-magazine that the ribbon 52 could be caused to periodically move successively in various different directions, that is, downwardly in the stored stack side, across the bottom and then upwardly in the feed supply stack, Figs. 4 and 5. Furthermore, we have discovered that these various movements of the ribbon 52 and the stacks may be provided without catching or jamming.

The cartridge-magazine I2 is made to serve in our invention the several functions as follows: a housing member, a display means, if desired, a magazine for the merchandise to be dispensed or vended, and a mounting member for the coin receptacle which in turn functions as a bracing member to the device as a whole in addition to serving as a receptacle.

In dispensing merchandise of the general character or nature of vitamin capsules or substances in the tablet form, sanitation and full protection against contamination are matters of prime consideration. To this end, we encase the product in a sealed ribbon carrier means and provide for this ribbon to be loaded into cartridges at the local plant or place of business, where cleaning and sterilizing of the cartridge may be performed before each loading and sanitary conditions generally may be provided. The reloading operator at the site of the dispensing machine may thus substitute a full for an empty cartridge [2 without contacting even the ribbon 52 let alone the product itself any more than is necessary to feed one end of the ribbon 52 over drum 55, since he merely substitutes the full for the empty cartridge.

We have succeeded in providing a vending machine characterized by its sanitary character, compactness, and simplicity and at the same time we have provided ready accessibility to the compone'nt parts of the device for servicing, quick removing and substitution of cartridges in reloading and servicing, rigidity of assembled members due to their \being placed under tension when being locked into position in notches and grooves and when'the movable plate 25 is forced into the key locked position.

Obviously, changes may be m'ade'in the forms, dimensions, and arrangement of the parts of our invention, without'departing from the principle thereof, the above setting'forth only preferred forms of embodiment.

We claim:

1. A vending machine for dispensing merchandise units secured together-in spaced relation 'in a ribbon means comprising a housing havingf'a removable transparent cartridge-magazine of U- form forming a part of said housing in which merchandise to be dispensed may be heldand displayed the inner'wall of said cartridge magazine being formed of a U-form resilient releasable member constituting a coin receptacle; a dispensing mechanism operatively disposed within said housing; and releasable holding means securing said cartridge-magazine in said hous- 1 2. A vending machine for dispensing merchandise units secured together in spaced relation in a ribbon means comprising a base plate; a right angle mounting bracket having an upright and base members, said base member be ing secured to said base plate; a coin controlled dispensing mechanism having a frame with an interlocking notch, said mechanism being fixedly mounted on the upright portion of the mounting lbracket; a housing having a rear member secured to said upright member of said mounting bracket and a releasable front member which has an engaging shoulder for interlocking with said notch in said dispensing mechanism frame; key operated locking means carried by the front housing member and engageable with looking hook members carried by the base plate whereby the front and rear housing members are held in locked relation; and a cartridge-magazine for containing merchandise to be vended which magazine is disposed between said rear and front housing members.

3. A vending machine for dispensing merchandise units secured together in spaced relation in a ribbon means comprising a support housing formed by a rear and a front member and a removable continuous U-form passageway magazine mounted by said front and rear members wherein a merchandise mounting ribbon folded upon itself in superimposed layers may be received; a dispensing mechanism operatively secured in the upper portion of said housing; and releasable holding means for securing said magazine in said housing.

4. A vending machine for dispensing merchandise units secured together in spaced relation in a ribbon means comprising a support housing formed by a rear and front member; a dispensing mechanism secured in the upper portion of said housing; and a removable transparent U- form magazine mounted by said support housing below said dispensing mechanism, whereby the maximum amount of said magazine may be utilized as a show case as Well as a compact unit.

5. A vending machine for dispensing merchandise units secured together in spaced relation in a ribbon means comprising a support housing formed by a rear and front member; a. dispensing mechanism secured in the upper porfi heingsmcunted byesaid asupport housing below :said dispensing. mechanism, whereby {the maximum amount of saidr magazinetmay be.u ti1ized :aswaishow' case .as well-as a compact unit.

-:6., :A;-vending machinefor dispensing merchandisemnits .secured together in spaced relation in ea rribbon:.means comprising :a support housing formed by a rear and front:memhemeaadispensing mechanism secured in the upper portion-of a'said mousing; aremovable transparent ,U Jormrmaga- :zinejmounted. shy-4 said: support housingtbelow said dispensing rmechanism, "whereby ,the maximum amount ;.of.:said magazine :may -beuti1ized as ;a isho w caseas =-we11 as a compact unit; :and releasable; holding meansfor-securing said magazine in said housing.

7. 5A vending machine for dispensingmerchandise unitssecured together inspaced relation in ,a-Tibbon means comprising .a support housing formed 'by a rear and front member; a distpensin v=mechanism secured in (the .uppenpor- 2 rNumber :zmmsz :of the U :magazine, ':and ssaid magazine being .mounted by said-support-housing below said dispensing mechanism, whereby the maximum amount of said magazine may be utiiizedmsia show case as well as a compact unit; and ta; coin .rreceptacle disposed within the arms of ithe .U -f.orm1 magazine.

:STANLEY :BAR'I'IETT EALMER.

ROY 'DFOSTER .cPAULSDN.

lREFERENCES-QCITED The following references are of 'recoridiin ;the file of this patent:

"UNITEDL'STA'IESLPA'I'ENTS Name Date :Pape Nov. 6,1900 Jacobs. July 4,.1916 Lamb--14 Sept. 19,1922 

